Whiskey Dick Wildlife Area spans west of the Columbia River and east of Whiskey Dick Mountain. Inside much of the area are the gigantic wind turbines. Meanwhile, the southeast corner borders Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park.
See more trip photos here.
Whiskey Dick Wildlife Area at a Glance
Access: Quilomene Wildlife Area access
Round Trip: 5.6 miles
Elevation Range: 2100′-2800′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Whiskey Dick Wildlife Area
Since the rain never came, the pups and I went east at the last minute. The late plan to Whiskey Dick Wildlife Area put us on the trail at 2 PM. Since it was the first day the area was off-limits to vehicles until May, we had lots of solitude.
That meant giving up seeing wildflowers like the balsamroot or daisies until spring. Like many places with expansive views, it gets busy when the weather is decent. But the cloudy day was perfect for those who don’t mind the cold.
See more trip photos here.
Eastern Washington State
There is one thing about the desert part of the state I’m not a fan of. It’s the sightings of rattlesnakes during the warm season are inevitable. That is mainly why I started visiting this side during this time of the year.
I forgot to check the wind speed while looking at the forecast earlier. But it was a windy afternoon, with the west wind blowing nonstop since we arrived. Then it continued well after we returned to the parking lot afterward.
See more trip photos here.
Above Rocky Coulee
We would visit Point 2901 during the recent trips. It’s also the highest point on the ridgeline above Rocky Coulee. Then we’d enjoy the views of the wind turbines on Whiskey Dick Mountain there. But we were short on time today.
We reached the lowest point of the hike, two miles from the car. Then we went through the light brush to the ridgetop, which the pup seemed to do okay. Meanwhile, the wind blew in all directions and started to get irritating.
See more trip photos here.
Outro
We dropped onto the north side before Point 2901 and hung out by the bump north of Point 2790. It was much less windy there for the pup. So we enjoyed our break and quiet time while looking at the wind turbines.
Even with the vast 28,000 acres, we have yet to lose our way here. I’d even used the car as a reference point on the return without using the GPS. Our late start didn’t offer much time to explore, so we reached the car right after dark.
See more trip photos here.